Well, I’m still pregnant (and pretty annoyed about it) and also technically on Maternity leave, so I thought I’d do some Cranky posts while I have a bit of time waiting.

Since this is baby number two we didn’t have very many things we needed to buy to prep for baby’s arrival. We’ve kept most of the baby essentials from Eleanor, so we didn’t register or buy very much. But there are a few new things that I’m excited about that I thought I’d share.

1. Ikea Stuva Dressers, $110. Eleanor and the baby will be sharing a room once he’s sleeping through the night. As it is, there is no extra room for a crib, so we needed to get rid of Eleanor’s dresser to make some space. We decided to clear out her closet and get two new smaller dressers, one for Eleanor and one for baby. These Ikea children’s dressers are the perfect size and they are nice and low so that Eleanor doesn’t have a problem reaching inside to find her own clothes. They also come with different color drawer fronts (birch, pink, blue, and green) if you’re so inclined. I like the simple white front, so they’ll work if most any space if we ever pull them out of the closet or change the decor. p.s. I’ll be doing some new house tours in the coming months so you can see how our little place has changed to accommodate baby.

2. Target, Room Essentials, Y Weave Small Storage Baskets, $6 each. Our changing table is now set-up in our bathroom, because, again there is no space in Eleanor’s room. And because I have client meetings in our home most weekends I need to keep the bathroom looking clean and tidy, so I bought a few of these small plastic storage baskets to keep the things on the changing table looking neat and organized. I use one for extra changing table covers, another for washcloths and baby toiletries, and another for diapers.

3. Cake by Petunia Pickle Bottom, Cosmopolitan Carryall in Buttercream, $349. This was a very generous gift from my good friend and photo client, Kristy! I seriously am in love with this incredible gift. It is the most beautiful diaper bag with so many pockets for all your baby stuff. It also works as a fabulous purse and it’s padded enough to double as a camera bag. I ADORE it! Kristy was able to snag it in this beautiful Buttercream yellow at a sample sale, it’s no longer available in that color, but the other shades are just as beautiful.

4. Arm’s Reach, The Mini Co-Sleeper in Natural, $154. While the baby will eventually share a room with Eleanor, until he’s sleeping through the night he’ll be in the bedroom with us. We didn’t use a bassinet with Eleanor, she went straight into the crib in her room, so we needed to get something for the new baby that was small enough to fit in our little bedroom. This co-sleeper is a hand-me-down from my sister, who got it as a hand-me-down from a friend of hers. It is the perfect size! While we can’t actually use it as a co-sleeper (there’s not much room on the sides of our big King-sized bed), there is space on the wall opposite our bed next to the dresser that is almost the exact size of this co-sleeper. It’s perfect!

5. Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack, $18. I love this cute and super functional drying rack. If you’ve ever washed bottles, you know there are a bunch of little parts that just won’t work on a traditional drying rack. The blades of “grass” keep everything up and allow the water to drain down into the tray, which separates from the grass for easy cleaning. We had a different bottle drying rack when Eleanor was a baby and I hated it! This one is so much better and so much cuter!

6. Aden & Anais, Muslin Swaddle Blankets, $50. These were a gift from my sister. I love them and can’t wait to get to use them. I’ve had my eye on these to use for my newborn clients for a while, I love the plain white ones for photos and the patterned ones are cute for everything else. They are super soft and nicely textured and have a little stretch in the them for swaddling. They are also a nice big size so they can be used in a variety of ways, like as a nursing or stroller cover, a tummy time blanket, or a changing table cover.

And those are all my new favorite things! But as you know there are soooooo many other thing you need for baby, so I’m working on something for you new moms out there! I’ll have a complete guide to all the baby essentials up soon! I’ll be working on it this weekend and if baby doesn’t arrive before then I’ll get it up on Monday (my due date) for you all!

Have a fabulous Easter/Passover weekend! Send your good wishes our way for a quick delivery that happens soon please, cause I am sooooo over this waiting!

3 Comments

I love the grass drying rack… We have one and it’s the best thing ever. I don’t put bottles on it cause the girl doesn’t take one, but I dry all my pumping pieces, sippies, and her spoons and little bowls. The muslin swaddling blankets are truly multi-purpose. I think I use them most as nursing covers. Been thinking of you, best wishes for a speedy labor!

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[...] it keeps them from waking themselves up with their reflexively flailing arms. As I mentioned in my New Baby Favorites post, I’ve got some new Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets, which look like they’ll be great for [...]

[...] so you’ll be hand-washing your bottles and will need a place to dry them. As mentioned in my New Baby Favorites post, we just got the Boon Grass Drying Rack. So far we love it. It’s super cute and [...]